116v

[Anton]

Now, "carcere portas" is something familiar from the biblical tradition, because when Christ decended to Hell he "crushed the gates of copper and broke the bars of iron". In orthodox Bible it is Psalm 106:16. In catholic it is 107:16:

"For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder."

In comments to Bible there has been the established term of "carcere portas aereas" (copper gates of prison).

It is interesting to note that the Alexander's Gates legend typically (from what I've read) has his Gates made of brass, and less often of brass and iron or of iron exclusively.

For the inclosed nations (Gog & Magog and others) Alexander's Gates would be the gates of a "prison". Interestingly, as the legend goes, these Gates would fall closer to the end of times (and the tribes will break free). I wonder if all this may in a roundabout fashion trace back to Psalm 106:16.

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I'm re-reading the Anderson's book to rethink it all over - it pays attention to minute details but its greatest deficiency (beside broad quotations in various languages) is that it cannot boast a very systematic narrative, and you have to re-systematize it all in your own head.

The two points of interest that I can personally note are that

a) in no other source is the substance called exactly "anchiton" save in the Hebrew source (which was already mentioned in this thread above, I believe)

b) how would "anchiton" of the Alexander's Gate (a substance with which the gate is covered) become "anchiton" of Nicholas de Lyra (kind of wood)? If they both descend to the same origin there must be some missing link. Or are they related only linguistically?